The real question is whether the House as an institution still functions by the time we find out.
Vote counts matter only in a chamber whose outputs still bind. This one increasingly does not.
Emergency powers, defied court rulings, and a Speaker too weak to discipline his own caucus add up to a legislature that performs procedure without producing consequence.
I'm hoping that the Dems are already preparing their legal strategy for the next Congress. I'm sure the regime will continue to violate the Anti Impoundment Act, etc. If I understand things correctly, the House ought to be able to team up with willing states to sue the regime & proceed quickly by using the states's right to go directly to SCOTUS, instead of starting with district courts.
The Republican House was NEVER going to sue the regime for violating the Anti-Impoundment Act, etc.
I agree, Democrats need to develop a plan for 2027 and another plan for 2029. Far too much to do, to get it all done just by 'winging it'. Plans with schedules, assigned people, staff, deliverables and strategies for winning elections.
Unless both Trump and Vance are impeached and removed (harder to make the case on Vance, but possible) no new laws will be passed until 2029, but they can prepare the bills, give them a test run, work out the details, use them to show our plans and to show Republicans oppose them.
by the way, if Democrats do not TRY to impeach Trump in 2027, they will piss off a LOT of the people that voted for them. Just this time, use ALL of his crimes, every one of them, to show the pattern and expose the flaws in the weasly arguments Republicans will use. Play to the audience, the public, rather than treating it like an actual court trial. Republicans have shown they do not honor their oaths, so don't expect them to this time, but they can still fear their voters.
I watch what goes on in Washington, and I don’t see governance. I see stupid games being played and we are winning stupid prizes. MTG won us the stupid prize of Mike Johnson when she tossed Kevin McCarthy into the fire. She could have done us a solid and offered up Johnson for sacrifice before she “retired” from Congress. They are so good at making the mess… not so good at cleaning it up.
It thrills me to watch the lying, holier-than-thou, CINO (Christian in Name Only) and sanctimonious simp of a munchkin from my state getting his long deserved comeuppance. Long ago, he sold his soul to the orange-faced devil. I look forward to the coming midterm blue wave that will remove this shell of a person from prominence and put him where he belongs: in the rearview mirror.
Thanks for the information. It had totally passed me by. Trump could not have done his damage without enablers like Johnson and so his humiliating defeats give me some cheer.
Odd that Republican leaders want to extend FISA. It allows the "spying" that the felon accused the Obama admin of doing to his campaign. It's also how Michael Flynn got busted & fired at the beginning of the felon's 1st admin.
Yeah, but now Trump has the power. Trump always accuses others of crimes he wants to commit, or has committed. Trump always denies his guilt, and is (at least) 90% of the time guilty. Certainly by now, few will say he never changes his mind when situations change...
I have wondered if Mike Johnson was elected as speaker because he is so weak and incompetent. That choice gives cover for the trumpian members of Congress while not getting anything accomplished.
Mike Johnson -- a name that signifies incompetence. And now just the current Speaker of the House, who personifies incompetence. About a decade ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins had an incompetent coach named Mike Johnson. All he could do with a mega-talented Penguins team was lead them to a wild card slot, only to get eliminated in the first round. His predecessor had once coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. His successor coached them to not just one but TWO Stanley Cups in the two years after Johnson was fired. (Note: I'm not a Penguins fan at all and my favorite team is one of their arch-rivals.)
If your last name is Johnson, don't name your baby boy Michael. Consider other names like Mark or even Brent.
"smug mug" Yep, that's his brand. He reminds me of Cheney in his ability to deliver the crazy with an all-knowing, worldly, just the facts, maam demeanor.
Pretty sure if you dig a bit, at least one reason for Mike's loss on the FISA bill is that "Domestic terrorists" AKA Antifa, were convicted because this administration used warrantless spying on their phones to spot their use of 'Signal chat' (the Antifa 'members' had not learned to shut off a feature that keeps received messages in a memory buffer). Their use of Signal Chat, combined with Trump having designated Antifa a Domestic Terrorist group was enough to get them convicted in court.
Have a hunch, that the "classified and secret interpretation of FISA" included some BS twisty logic that let them spy on US citizens without any foreigners being involved.
The idea of 'Increased penalties' for abuse, first requires the abuse to be interpreted as abuse and for it to be reported as abuse. When everything is behind a strong wall of 'National Security' in an administration that harshly punishes anyone who speaks out when laws are broken by the administration, my faith in their 'enforcement mechanism' is about as non-existent as this administration's ethics.
The real question is whether the House as an institution still functions by the time we find out.
Vote counts matter only in a chamber whose outputs still bind. This one increasingly does not.
Emergency powers, defied court rulings, and a Speaker too weak to discipline his own caucus add up to a legislature that performs procedure without producing consequence.
Procedure without consequence is theater.
Johan
I'm hoping that the Dems are already preparing their legal strategy for the next Congress. I'm sure the regime will continue to violate the Anti Impoundment Act, etc. If I understand things correctly, the House ought to be able to team up with willing states to sue the regime & proceed quickly by using the states's right to go directly to SCOTUS, instead of starting with district courts.
The Republican House was NEVER going to sue the regime for violating the Anti-Impoundment Act, etc.
I agree, Democrats need to develop a plan for 2027 and another plan for 2029. Far too much to do, to get it all done just by 'winging it'. Plans with schedules, assigned people, staff, deliverables and strategies for winning elections.
Unless both Trump and Vance are impeached and removed (harder to make the case on Vance, but possible) no new laws will be passed until 2029, but they can prepare the bills, give them a test run, work out the details, use them to show our plans and to show Republicans oppose them.
by the way, if Democrats do not TRY to impeach Trump in 2027, they will piss off a LOT of the people that voted for them. Just this time, use ALL of his crimes, every one of them, to show the pattern and expose the flaws in the weasly arguments Republicans will use. Play to the audience, the public, rather than treating it like an actual court trial. Republicans have shown they do not honor their oaths, so don't expect them to this time, but they can still fear their voters.
I watch what goes on in Washington, and I don’t see governance. I see stupid games being played and we are winning stupid prizes. MTG won us the stupid prize of Mike Johnson when she tossed Kevin McCarthy into the fire. She could have done us a solid and offered up Johnson for sacrifice before she “retired” from Congress. They are so good at making the mess… not so good at cleaning it up.
Thank you for your spot on analysis, Noah.❤️
It thrills me to watch the lying, holier-than-thou, CINO (Christian in Name Only) and sanctimonious simp of a munchkin from my state getting his long deserved comeuppance. Long ago, he sold his soul to the orange-faced devil. I look forward to the coming midterm blue wave that will remove this shell of a person from prominence and put him where he belongs: in the rearview mirror.
Yes, Pious Mike is too guilty of hypocrisy. Perhaps he should remember that “suffer the little children” does not sanction sexual abuse.
I will remember that one. Thank you for a good laugh.
Any time.
Thanks for the information. It had totally passed me by. Trump could not have done his damage without enablers like Johnson and so his humiliating defeats give me some cheer.
“Trump’s elfish toady:” an insult for the ages.
"Johnson wasn’t done with losing though." Noah's description of Speaker Johnson's chosen path is spot on.
Odd that Republican leaders want to extend FISA. It allows the "spying" that the felon accused the Obama admin of doing to his campaign. It's also how Michael Flynn got busted & fired at the beginning of the felon's 1st admin.
Yeah, but now Trump has the power. Trump always accuses others of crimes he wants to commit, or has committed. Trump always denies his guilt, and is (at least) 90% of the time guilty. Certainly by now, few will say he never changes his mind when situations change...
I have wondered if Mike Johnson was elected as speaker because he is so weak and incompetent. That choice gives cover for the trumpian members of Congress while not getting anything accomplished.
Thank you, Mr. Berlatsky.
Mike Johnson -- a name that signifies incompetence. And now just the current Speaker of the House, who personifies incompetence. About a decade ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins had an incompetent coach named Mike Johnson. All he could do with a mega-talented Penguins team was lead them to a wild card slot, only to get eliminated in the first round. His predecessor had once coached the Penguins to a Stanley Cup and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. His successor coached them to not just one but TWO Stanley Cups in the two years after Johnson was fired. (Note: I'm not a Penguins fan at all and my favorite team is one of their arch-rivals.)
If your last name is Johnson, don't name your baby boy Michael. Consider other names like Mark or even Brent.
How do you determine the “more toxic aspects” of the Trump/Johnson agenda when everything is toxic?
No offense to elves…
"smug mug" Yep, that's his brand. He reminds me of Cheney in his ability to deliver the crazy with an all-knowing, worldly, just the facts, maam demeanor.
Johnson is counting down the days he is Speaker of the House.
Pretty sure if you dig a bit, at least one reason for Mike's loss on the FISA bill is that "Domestic terrorists" AKA Antifa, were convicted because this administration used warrantless spying on their phones to spot their use of 'Signal chat' (the Antifa 'members' had not learned to shut off a feature that keeps received messages in a memory buffer). Their use of Signal Chat, combined with Trump having designated Antifa a Domestic Terrorist group was enough to get them convicted in court.
Have a hunch, that the "classified and secret interpretation of FISA" included some BS twisty logic that let them spy on US citizens without any foreigners being involved.
The idea of 'Increased penalties' for abuse, first requires the abuse to be interpreted as abuse and for it to be reported as abuse. When everything is behind a strong wall of 'National Security' in an administration that harshly punishes anyone who speaks out when laws are broken by the administration, my faith in their 'enforcement mechanism' is about as non-existent as this administration's ethics.
“elvish toady”? Tolkien speaks bitter orc profanities from the grave.